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Mares Manhandles Morel

Youth was served last night at the Don Haskins Convention Center, El Paso, Texas as Abner Mares defeated Eric Morel by unanimous decision to capture the vacant WBC super bantamweight title. In so doing, Mares erased any lingering doubts that may have arisen from his two controversial wins over previous foe Joseph Agbeko.

For those people who are critical of boxing, the Mares-Morel fight showcased everything that is great about boxing. Fought at a catch weight of 120 lbs., Mares victory was decisively one-sided with one judge giving him all 12 rounds while the other two judges gave him 11 rounds. Mares controlled the fight by utilizing his technical superiority. In a word, Mares was brilliant, using a blistering body attack punctuated by a devastating left hook to systematically break down Eric Morel round by round.

Eric Morel was very game and had his moments during the match but they were very few and far between. The much slower Morel absorbed a tremendous amount of punishment and looked in danger of going down on several occasions. A fighter of lesser ability would have succumbed earlier in the bout. Mares doubled and tripled up on his jab and gave a clinic on body punching, landing 6 and 8 punch combinations at will on Morel’s battered and bruised flanks for all 12 rounds.

Mares came in behind his jab and overwhelmed Morel with his hand speed and punching power. Mares was equally good on defense, giving Morel a lot of head movement and shoulder rolls, making it difficult for the older man to find his target on a consistent basis. Morel fought his heart out in every round but was soundly beaten by a vastly superior fighter.

Morel did land some very hard shots on Mares chin in the later rounds but those shots had absolutely no effect on the shorter man. Mares’s domination of Morel was evident from the opening bell and he was not going to be denied in his quest for the WBC super bantamweight title belt. Mares was focused and determined and left little if any room for criticism.

Time and again Mares bounced hellacious right and left hooks off of Morel’s exposed chin, hurting the older fighter on numerous occasions, and forcing him to clinch and cover-up. Mares landed over 57% of his power shots in the fight. Suffice to say, anytime you reach or go beyond a 50% connect rate in any fight, you are going to walk away with the win.  Morel was gracious in defeat, acknowledging the obvious, that the better man won. After giving Mares his just due, Morel vowed to continue on with his career.

The future looks bright for Abner Mares and the super bantamweight division. There is already talk about a possible unification fight with WBA super bantamweight titlist Anselmo Moreno, who successfully defended his title last night by way of 9^th round kayo. Such a fight would be every boxing fan’s dream.

The reigning WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire is widely considered to be the top super bantam in the world. He is preparing to face Mexican Cristian Mijares on July 14^th in Texas, in defence of his title. With Donaire, Mares, Moreno and Mijares all in the mix, the super bantamweight division looks set to embark on a golden era.

Bad Blood Between B-Hop and Bad Chad

Let’s make one thing abundantly clear. Bernard Hopkins and Chad Dawson clearly do not like each other at all. The enmity they feel for each other is real and palpable.  In fact, they loathe each other. They do not respect each other in or out of the ring. Generally, with most fighters, boxing is not personal, it is just business. You fight your opponent and then after you go out for some drinks with him. Such is not the case in this respect. They are professionals though and both fighters will valiantly attempt to channel their mutual hatred of each other into a victorious ring performance this Saturday, April 28^th, in Atlantic City, at Boardwalk Hall.

Their first fight was over so soon, it is almost impossible to draw any conclusions from that foul-shortened bout. Trends were starting to emerge but there was no way of predicting accurately the outcome over a 12 round distance.  The only thing that was clear from their abbreviated first encounter was that Dawson is the bigger and stronger man. Mind you, that was already known before their first match was underway.

Bernard Hopkins would like to redeem himself in the eyes of all those fans that thought he took the easy way out in his original foul-shortened fight with Chad Dawson. It is important to note that after their first bout ended in controversy, Dawson said he would never again enter a ring to face Hopkins. It is funny how time and more money changed Dawson’s intransigent attitude completely around.

A lot of people in the boxing community believe the WBC light-heavyweight world champion Hopkins may have finally bitten off more than he can chew in accepting this rematch with the extremely well-conditioned and highly motivated Dawson. Hopkins enters this fight as the underdog,. The question on everyone’s lips here is should B-Hop win, will the boxing world finally give him his due as one of the sport’s all-time greats? The truth is that Hopkins greatness has been recognized worldwide for a very long time now. It is only Hopkins who believes he has been shortchanged in terms of praise and recognition. Most boxing experts and analysts gave him his just due many years ago.  

If Dawson wins and knocks out this living legend, will he be given credit for beating an all-time great or will he be criticized for beating a 47 year-old man? It would seem vastly unfair to belittle Dawson for beating up a 47 year-old man since it is the 47 year-old Hopkins that demanded this fight in the first place.  Dawson would be deserved of criticism only if he had turned down the first fight with Hopkins as well as the rematch. However, he said yes both times, to his lasting credit.

The manner in which the first fight between Hopkins and Dawson ended, created a lot of hostility throughout the boxing world. There were a lot of fans that believed that Hopkins was faking his shoulder injury and in fact, was not actually hurt. Then there were other fans that firmly believed Dawson picked Hopkins up on purpose and flung him to the canvas in an attempt to deliberately injure him severely. The truth of the matter probably lies somewhere in the middle.

Hopkins threw a punch, which Dawson ducked under. B-Hop’s momentum carried him forward on to Dawson’s back. Dawson wrapped his right arm around Hopkin’s waist, stood up and then threw him with force to the canvas with both hands. Who was at fault? In a sense, both fighters and the referee were at fault. Referee Pat Russell should have been in there a lot faster to break them up. Russell waited too long to separate the fighters. In effect, Russell’s negligence was as responsible for the foul as were the fighters themselves. Pat Russell is too old, short and physically weak, to be able to adequately referee a fight between men of such strength and power. The fault there lies with the WBC for assigning him to referee the fight in the first place.

Hopkins aggravated the situation by making no attempt whatsoever to get off of Dawson’s back. Dawson lost his temper and his focus and concentration. He feels he was justified and really had no other choice but to relieve himself of B-Hop’s body by any means necessary. The real question is did Dawson choose the most apropos method to rid himself of B-Hop?  Maybe not but, given the situations and Russell’s absence from it, what other options did he have given the position he was in?  Both fighters and the referee earned the undying shame and chagrin of the live audience for their unprofessional actions. They are lucky that the fans have decided to give them one more chance.

Hopkins is an experienced technical boxer with tremendous ring smarts and generalship. At this stage in his career, Hopkins does not have the power to knock out a fighter as strong and fit as Dawson. Dawson also has a good chin and is known for being able to take a great shot. Hopkins likewise has never been knocked out or even close to it over the course of his storied career. Dawson is quick, punches with power and is very accurate with his shots.  They are both counter-punchers but Dawson will go on the attack in their rematch. His game plan is simple. He wants to wear down the older Hopkins, preferably with body shots.

Hopkins is a pinpoint counter puncher and very smart at figuring out his opponents game plans and then taking advantage of the flaws in their respective fight strategies. Hopkins has unerring timing and if Dawson leaves himself open for an instant or stops to admire a punch, he will end up paying for it big time. Also, if Dawson starts to depend on one particular punch quite often, Hopkins will begin to tie that shot and counter it effectively. Hopkins just does not allow any fighter to ever get comfortable with him in the ring. What that means is that Dawson will have to outthink Hopkins as well as outbox him in the ring.

Because of Hopkins advanced age, Dawson will try to extend the fight into the later rounds so as to tire out Hopkins by making him use his legs more than he would realistically like to. Dawson will try to bully Hopkins into the ropes and then go to work on his body and arms. Dawson will attempt to impose his will and superior size and strength on B-Hop and bust him up with every shot he throws.

Hopkins knows every trick in the sport, and, over the course of his lengthy career, has probably invented many tricks of his own. As mentioned above, Hopkins will try to outbox Dawson at every turn and use his huge edge in ring smarts and experience to turn Dawson often, thereby never allowing the younger man to get set long enough to throw his power shots.  This is why Hopkins does not want to be backed into a corner or on the ropes during the fight as it would prevent him from turning Dawson, thereby allowing the stronger challenger to properly establish his balance, allowing him to gain incredible leverage on his punches.

There is little doubt that Dawson has the power to stop Hopkins. It is unlikely though that Hopkins has enough power left in his arsenal to knock out Dawson. For this reason, Hopkins has to keep the fight constantly moving, never permitting Dawson enough time to set himself to throw any power shots. The question yet to be answered is does Hopkins still have enough energy and stamina left in the tank to keep his 47 year-old body on the move for 12 long rounds?

Several years back, during an interview with Hopkins, I asked him if he ever worried about getting knocked out. He said, “Hell yeah! Every fighter does. Any fighter, if hit on the button, will go, including me.”   This brings up a very interesting question regarding Dawson’s fight strategy. Will he throw caution and reason to the wind and simply try to blast Hopkins out of there via the knockout route? Dawson’s response to such questions is always short and sweet. “If the opportunity arises, I will try to stretch him.” Dawson cannot stand being interviewed as he is very shy and extremely uncomfortable in front of the press. He is a man of very few words and has always preferred to let his ring performances speak for themselves.

Do not let Dawson’s reticence about answering questions fool you. He would love nothing better than to be the fist fighter to drop Hopkins for a ten count. As he has aged, Hopkins defense has deteriorated.  He is much easier to touch now than he was even 5 years ago. He picks his opponents carefully. Then again, that is the name of the game in boxing. You want your fighter to take the least risk for the most money. The great fighters always take the toughest fights out there to prove their worth and ensure their legacy.

B-Hop’s legacy has been in place for some time now. He has had his share of tough fights during his career. Fighting Chad Dawson at this very late stage in his Hall of Fame career is admirable because Hopkins could have chosen to fight a much less talented and lethal fighter. Given Dawson’s youth, strength, power and speed, it is hard to fathom how Hopkins can find a way to emerge victorious once this battle concludes on Saturday night. There are many boxing scribes that believe this fight will end suddenly and brutally on April 28^th.  Bearing that in mind, this may very well be the last time we ever see Hopkins in a boxing ring, which in itself makes this fight an historic event.

Eleven years ago in 2001, when Hopkins was a mere baby of 36 years of age, he decided to take on sensational Puerto Rican knockout artist Felix “Tito” Trinidad. Trinidad was 40-0 with 32 knockouts at that point in his career. Trinidad was 28 years of age and had beaten a lot of good fighters. He was a huge favorite to kayo Hopkins in Madison Square Garden in New York. Almost no one gave Hopkins even a smidgen of a chance to defeat the might “Tito.” Trinidad entered the ring thinking it would a short night’s work.

Hopkins gave Trinidad the single worst beating of his entire career before mercifully knocking the previously undefeated and universally feared slugger from Puerto Rico in twelve long, arduous and painful rounds.  Hopkins could have knocked out Trinidad three or four rounds earlier but held back so he could continue to brutally punish his highly favored opponent in order to make his victory much more emphatic.

Dawson is only 29 years of age, which gives him an 18-year advantage in youth over Hopkins. Of course, anyone Hopkins fights would hold an advantage in age over him, except maybe Methuselah. Hopkins knows he no longer possesses sufficient power to knock out a young stud like Dawson. It seems that his only route to victory would be to score a decision over Dawson. That seems highly unlikely as Dawson is faster in foot and hand speed and is capable of fighting all out for the full 12 rounds.

Anyone who watched B-Hop fight recently knows full well that he likes to take time off during his fights. Most fighters let him get away with it. They allow him to clinch constantly, hold, hang on to the ropes, and do a myriad of other things to slow down the pace of a fight. If Dawson can prevent Hopkins from using those stalling tactics he loves to employ, then he would greatly increase his chances of winning the bout by a knockout.

Dawson employs a tactic that Marvelous Marvin Hagler used to employ in his fights. When Hopkins misses a punch and is off-balance, he will sometimes take a few extra-steps and calmly regain his balance before engaging his opponent once again. It is up to Dawson to not allow Hopkins to buy extra time in such a manner. Dawson needs to not show Hopkins any respect in the squared circle. When Hopkins is off-balance from a wild swing, Dawson should jump on him immediately and let his hands go.

Ultimately, This match is a contest between Hopkins experience and Dawson’s ability to impose his will. Look for Dawson to win by unanimous decision in twelve hard fought rounds. A Dawson win will send Hopkins into retirement, where he can rest for as long as his body desires.

Man On A Mission: Logan Cotton McGuinness

 

Man On A Mission

It is generally considered by boxing experts that next to Troy Ross, Canada’s best hope to capture a world boxing title rests with Logan Cotton McGuinness. On May 5^th of this year, McGuinness will defend his NABA super featherweight title against American Meacher Major at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. Major can fight but for McGuinness, this match is one more step up the ladder to a world title shot in 2013 or 2014.

McGuinness, the bomber from Barrie, is one of the top super featherweights in the world. He is on a mission to seek and destroy every fighter who blocks his path to a world title shot. With each impressive victory, he is removing any shred of doubt that may exist about his meteoric but well deserved rise to title-contender status. McGuinness is the real deal. He has it all and will, one day soon, fight for the aforementioned super-featherweight world title. 

Immensely skilled with crushing power in both hands, McGuinness views his upcoming opponent Major in the same manner that he views all of his opponents; as nothing more than an opponent who must be beaten to a pulp and then knocked out in brutal fashion.

As harsh as that may sound, it should be noted that we are, after all, talking about professional boxing.  In the pro ranks, fans come to see knockouts. The more brutal the knockout the more enjoyable it is for the fans.

The goal in the pro ranks is to win in spectacular fashion and the quickest way to do that is to separate your opponent from his senses with effective and accurate power punching. There are few better at that these days than Barrie, Ontario’s Logan Cotton McGuinness.  Now, anyone who doubts that McGuinness has such a mindset has not had the privilege of seeing him demonstrate his power punching skills inside the squared circle.

When in the ring, McGuinness is always looking for the kill. Yes, he has superb boxing skills but if his foe makes one error, you can rest assured it will be the first and last error he makes against McGuinness. McGuinness has proved before that he only needs one shot to end matters instantly. The look a lion has when it sees its prey for the first time is identical to the bomber from Barrie’s eyes when he stares down his foes during the referee’s instructions.  Both Logan and the lion are looking to end matters quickly and efficiently.

Make no mistake about it. McGuinness is a gifted pro fighter with great hand speed, dazzling footwork and a punishing body attack.  In his NABA title winning match vs. Benoit Gaudet on October 22, 2011, at the Hershey Centre, McGuinness’s early body work, which included a constant stream of vicious left hooks to the liver (known in boxing as the Mexican left hook) paid huge dividends later on as he methodically broke down Gaudet, eventually leaving the Quebecois fighter defenseless and unconscious.

Gaudet won some of the early rounds with his dazzling boxing technique. Gaudet utilized his quick jab and lateral movement to keep McGuinness, always the hunter, at bay temporarily. From the 6^th round on, it was all McGuinness, as each booming body shot he landed helped sap Gaudet’s strength and, more importantly, will. McGuinness literally punched the fight right out of Gaudet.

In the 11^th round, McGuinness executed his kill in as quick and brutal a fashion as a lion slays a zebra. McGuinness threw a swift left hook to the jaw, which traveled maybe six inches at most.  Gaudet, knocked cold upon impact, fell to the canvas with a resounding thud, where he remained, unmoving for some time.

McGuinness’s knockout of Gaudet was as inevitable as it was brutal. Boxing is a hurting game and, when it comes to laying on the hurt, McGuinness is one of the best in the world.  He is young, skilled, powerful and hungry. With each sensational victory, he is becoming hungrier for bigger and better prey.

On May 12, American Meacher Major (W20, KO17, L4) will be the next fighter to dare step into the lion’s den and take on the still unbeaten NABA super feather champion.  While many young fighters become more satisfied with each victory, McGuinness is certainly not most young fighters.  His appetite for better competition is insatiable.

The Barrie native really does not care what you have done in the past in your career or whom you may have beaten previously and, what’s more, why should he? Past victories or losses can’t help you now. The way McGuinness looks at it is, yes you may have been punched or even hurt before, but not like you are about to get punched and hurt tonight. The Barrie bomber is in the ring to do one thing, which is, end you.

No less a respected pugilistic authority than International Boxing Hall of Fame broadcaster Al Bernstein is one of McGuinness’s many big name boosters. Bernstein has said on many occasions that McGuinness is a world champion waiting to happen and that all Canadians should rejoice in his success and talent. 

As his past opponents have learned, much to their chagrin, there is no quit in McGuinness. As many boxing insiders in Canada and the United States have said before about his heart and desire, “You’d have to kill him to quit him.” 

Such a comment may seem extreme on the face of it but with McGuinness it is perfectly apt. Defeat is not an option under any circumstances for McGuinness. As long as his heart still beats, he will be throwing punches with bad intentions to the last second of each round.

One of McGuinness’s rarely mentioned assets is his granite chin. In other words, the kid takes a good shot. One reason for that is he has perfect balance in the ring. Angelo Dundee used to say that a fighter with perfect balance is almost impossible to beat. McGuinness is a good example of how great balance gives a fighter a huge advantage over his opponent, both offensively and defensively.

McGuinness always manages to get tremendous leverage on his shots. He is able to plant his feet effectively and pivot at the waist, using the full strength of his legs to get his entire body weight behind each savage body and head shot he throws. This is why he has a great knockout ratio. He rarely if ever wastes his shots by throwing arm punches.

Even when McGuinness jabs, he sticks that punch right into your face with power. One day, he will knock out one of his foes with a jab. To see such incredible strength in a super featherweight is very rare. The only other featherweight who could punch like that was Canada’s immortal Art Hafey, a.k.a. The Toy Tiger.

Defensively, McGuinness’s balance always enables him to successfully diffuse the power of his opponent’s blows throughout his legs, taking away the full sting of the punch. When he blocks a punch, his outstanding balance allows him to fire back immediately. He is able to switch back and forth from offense to defense and back, while maintaining his balance. This is something that many fighters, such as Thomas Hearns, never fully master.

As physically imposing as McGuinness is at super featherweight, he wins his fights by outthinking his opponents. Watch his fights. They are like chess matches, albeit with blood. His ability to outthink his opponent in mid-fight is evidence of an ability that only the greats have, namely the ability to improvise during a fight when plan A is not working out as it should.

McGuinness showed yet another aspect of his vast skill set during the Gaudet bout by being extremely patient and not wasting any shots in frustration. He could afford to be patient because he was cutting off the ring effectively and he knew it was just a matter of time until Gaudet would make one mistake and the fight would end, as it did, dramatically.

McGuinness keeps improving with each successive fight. He learns from his mistakes and corrects them in the gym. He seems to subscribe to Muhammad Ali’s theory of training. Ali always thought while training, “I’ll train very hard now so I can enjoy being the world champion later.”

Canada has an incredible history of success in the lower weight classes from George Dixon to Johnny Coulon, to Jimmy McLarnin,  to Art Hafey to Ian Clyde.  Hafey was the best featherweight in the world for four consecutive years in the 1970’s. Logan Cotton McGuinness seems poised to pick up the torch from the former Toy Tiger and carry it proudly for many years to come.

SMOKIN' JOE: A CHAMPION FOREVER

 

SMOKIN’ JOE

If he had accomplished nothing else in his career than win the Fight of the Century, Smokin’ Joe Frazier would still be remembered today as an all-time great heavyweight world champion. Frazier had a lot of great nights in the squared circle over the course of his illustrious career. In fact, Frazier will no doubt be remembered more for one defeat than all of his great victories.  Of course, I am talking about the Thrilla in Manila, considered by boxing experts to be the greatest heavyweight battle every fought in the history of professional boxing.

The courage, determination and heart displayed by both Frazier and Ali the night of October 1, 1975, in Manila, Philippines, will live forever as a testament to the human spirit. For it was on that night that Frazier and Ali created a boxing benchmark for ferocity, brutality, and sheer guts that will never be equaled, let alone surpassed. 

Eddie Futch, Frazier’s trainer was absolutely correct when he said to Joe, after stopping his third fight with Ali after the 14^th round, “No one will ever forget what you did here tonight, son.” From the 4^th round to the 11^th round, Frazier owned Ali, like no fighter has ever been owned by his opponent in boxing annals. Frazier staked his ownership to Ali with vicious body shots to Ali’s liver, kidneys and heart. Ali said after that it was the closest experience to death that he could possibly imagine. The sounds of those body shots consistently slapping against Ali’s flanks was sickening to hear and behold.

Because of the tremendous humidity in Manila, both fighters’ gloves became water-logged very early in the fight. The extra water in the gloves made each of Frazier’s hellacious body shots that much more deadly. That Ali survived Frazier’s repeated onslaughts to his body made him that night the greatest heavyweight champion that ever lived.

Ali had Frazier hurt early and ready to go by the second round. Ali kept up his attack hoping for an early knockout but it was not to be. Frazier recovered by round four and turned the tables in a big way, forcing Ali to the ropes and relentlessly pounding his body, taking Ali’s legs and mobility completely out of the fight. Frazier forced Ali to stand and fight or die. They almost did both that night.

Such heroic memories were recalled today by boxing fans throughout the world upon hearing of the untimely death of the former, undisputed, heavyweight champion of the world, Smokin’ Joe Frazier. The outpouring of emotion along with grief runs deep in the hearts of fight fans who loved, idolized and adored Smokin’ Joe Frazier. In fact, sports fans and people in general were deeply touched to hear of Frazier’s demise, such was the decency, modesty and humility of the former champ.

Joe Frazier was so beloved, that upon hearing the news he was suffering from liver cancer, many of his fans offered to donate all of part of their healthy livers just to help Joe out. He meant that much to so many people. It just doesn’t seem real to be in a world without Joe Frazier. He was one of those rare people you thought would live forever. Joe’s fans and all of those people fortunate enough to have met the former champ, loved him for his accomplishments in the ring and for his uncommon dignity and kindness outside of the ropes.

Muhammad Ali’s longtime trainer Angelo Dundee was quite distraught upon hearing the news of Joe’s passing. For Angelo, who had a ringside seat to Ali’s three historic fights with Frazier, the fights were strictly business and never personal. Angelo said today, Joe Frazier was one of the top several fighters in all of boxing. He was an honest, decent man and an all-time great world heavyweight champion. We all respected and admired him.” 

Even in a golden era of outstanding heavyweight fighters, Frazier stood out. He held the title heavyweight title from 1968 to 1973. Frazier captured the title by knocking out Jimmy Ellis in New York. By the way, at that time, Frazier was the only heavyweight champion of the world. Back then, to be a world champ meant you really were the best fighter in your weight class in the world. It meant something back then. The world heavyweight champion was only rivaled in importance by the President of the United States and, often, much more respected.

The amazing thing about Frazier was that he always seemed to be so much more than the heavyweight champion of the world. Then again, Frazier was always much more than the sum of his parts. That’s because his individual parts didn’t seem like much until they were put together as one.

Anyone looking at Frazier’s physical handicaps on paper would never conclude that he was a potential heavyweight world champion.  Frazier was blind in his left eye throughout his entire boxing career, a secret he managed to keep hidden for many years. He was also short for a heavyweight and he had short arms, a definite handicap against bigger men.

Frazier’s left arm was permanently bent at the elbow into an “L” shape, because of a childhood accident that happened on his family’s farm. Frazier’s success was even more unusual when you consider that he was essentially a one-handed fighter, rarely using his right hand as anything more than a range finder, something to distract his opponents with, while he set himself to throw the greatest left hook the heavyweight division has ever seen.

The problem with looking at a fighter’s handicaps or assets on paper is that it doesn’t allow for the inclusion of important intangible elements.  In Frazier’s case, that meant heart. No fighter in any weight class ever displayed more heart in the ring than Joe Frazier. Frazier’s heart combined with his unrivaled grit and determination made him the most feared fighter in the world during his career. Frazier didn’t just wreck guys he ended their careers. Frazier’s heart and determination combined with his incredible work ethic and desire to succeed at all costs was developed while growing up in acute poverty in the racially segregated and biased South.

Joe Frazier was born on January 12^th, 1944 in Laurel Bay, Beaufort, South Carolina. Ironically, Muhammad Ali’s birthday falls on January 17^th. Only five days separate the birthdays of these two legendary world heavyweight champions. His parents were Rubin and Dolly Frazier. Frazier had no formal education because back then, very few black children in Beaufort were allowed admittance to public schools. Also, many black families needed their children to stay home to help with the farm chores.

Frazier’s father was a sharecropper although the 10 acres of land his family owned was not very arable. Joe’s father Rubin made more money brewing and selling moonshine whiskey than he did farming. Ruben always took his son Joe (known then as Billy Joe) with him to sell his moonshine.

Frazier had a stocky build for a teenager. His uncle Israel noticed Joe’s build and said he looked like a future heavyweight champion. It is doubtful if his uncle ever knew how prophetic his compliment turned out to be.

At the age of 15, Frazier moved north to Philadelphia as a young teenager in order to pursue his boxing career. He took a job in a kosher slaughterhouse to support himself, his wife and their young daughter. Frazier was very overweight and joined a local boxing gym to lose weight and to get into shape. He took to boxing like a duck to water. Although he was not physically as big or skilled as some of the other heavyweights in Yank Durham’s gym, Frazier wound up knocking them all out in several months time.

Frazier was actually a southpaw but he was turned around by Yank Durham, his trainer. The conventional wisdom at that time was to turn a southpaw around, into an orthodox fighter. This would then allow him to have his left, his power hand, out in front of him, where he could use it more often. Also, it was extremely difficult for southpaws to get meaningful fights because orthodox fighters found them very difficult to beat.  Nothing has changed much in boxing in that regard, most fighters still prefer not to fight southpaws if it can be avoided.

Frazier quickly realized that boxers who had won Olympic gold medals, often made much more money than fighters of equivalent talent. He joined the U.S. amateur team for the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. Buster Mathis defeated him during the Olympic trials, which allowed Joe to go to the Olympics as an amateur. Mathis broke his thumb and was replaced by Frazier, who went on to capture the gold medal.

It is indeed difficult to discuss Joe Frazier without mentioning Muhammad Ali because they shared so much in common. They were both Olympic boxing gold medalists prior to capturing the world heavyweight title. Frazier always took great delight in telling people that his gold medal was in the heavyweight division whereas Ali captured gold as a light heavyweight.

As it turned out, Frazier broke his thumb during the Olympics and was forced to delay his pro debut for several months until his thumb had completely healed. Frazier made up for lost time, tearing through the heavyweight division at breakneck speed.  Frazier’s ascent to the top of the heavyweight’s was aided by Ali’s noticeable absence. Ali was illegally stripped of the heavyweight title by boxing’s ruling bodies for his anti Viet Nam war stance.

While not agreeing with Ali’s religious views, Frazier still respected Ali’s right to practice his religion in good faith and certainly respected Ali’s decision to not go to Viet Nam. Frazier financially supported Ali during his enforced exile, paying Ali’s mortgage and his monthly bills.

Frazier’s decimation of the heavyweight division continued in earnest as he defeated tough contender Oscar Bonavena, although he suffered two knockdowns in the process. He then stopped highly rated Canadian heavyweight George Chuvalo. The fight was stopped in the third round, after Frazier busted Chuvalo’s orbital bone with a left hook. Chuvalo had staggered Frazier the previous round. The two remained good friends for life. 

Frazier possessed the capability to end a fight at any time with one left hook. That left hook bought him a big house in a posh Philadelphia suburb, a fleet of luxury cars, a flashy wardrobe and jewellery, and put his children through university.

Frazier’s success was greatly aided by having one of boxing’s all time great trainers in his corner, in the venerable Eddie Futch. Frazier did so well in his third fight with Ali because Futch made him work hard on developing his right hand. This provided him with another weapon for Ali to worry about. The more he used his right hand successfully, the more devastating his left hook became and it was already nuclear capable to begin with. During the Thrilla in Manila, Frazier regularly hurt Ali with right hooks to the head. Ali and his team were astonished to see Frazier using his right hand with great success. In fact, Ali’s team could not believe that Frazier was still there, firing back after four rounds of action. Boxing insiders had informed Ali’s team that Frazier was a shot fighter with virtually nothing left in the tank.  As they were witnessing first hand, nothing was further from the truth. During the fifth round, Ali said to Joe, “Joe Frazier. They told me you was all washed up!” Frazier’s response was a thing of beauty, “They lied pretty boy, they lied!”

Frazier’s ring style was reminiscent of a coal-fueled locomotive, chugging along, bobbing up and down, and moving forward, always moving forward, as if propelled by a sense of his own destiny. Frazier in the ring was the living definition of an impossible scientific theory, namely, perpetual motion. Perpetual motion is supposed to be impossible, but nobody told Frazier that.  He bobbed up and down to make himself harder to hit. He always moved forward so as not to allow his foes to take anytime off during the fight. When you fought Frazier, he forced you to fight three minutes of every round, for all fifteen rounds. You only took time off after he had knocked you out cold.

Frazier loved to get under his opponent’s reach and work their body. Watch the Thrilla in Manila again. From the fourth round on, he hammered Ali’s body with shots so vicious, people up in the cheap seats could hear Ali wincing in pain from the sickening sound of water logged leather gloves slapping against Muhammad Ali’s ever reddening flesh.

Joe Frazier loved to fight. It was his reason for being. He reveled in the action. Frazier loved nothing better than a toe-to-toe slugfest. He lived for that moment when fighters lean on each other in center ring and fire off power shots, each man attempting to decapitate the other. That was his prime milieu, his utter essence. George Foreman recalled watching Frazier fight on television. Foreman said he was shocked when, after a particularly rough round, Frazier went back to his corner, smiling and flexing his shoulders as if to say, “Man that was fun.” For Frazier, it was fun and the sole reason he existed.  Frazier knew that if he clipped you on the button once with his left hook, the fight was over.

Ali and Frazier will be linked together throughout boxing and world history. They liked each other and they hated each other, both at the same time. In the ring they brought out the best in each other. They fought forty-one rounds together for the championship of each other and they both won and lost big. Ali won two of their three battles but they were both irreparably damaged from their three wars of attrition. 

Many fight fans immediately wondered how Ali took the death of his greatest opponent. Ali was very upset, and emotional over the loss of Frazier. They had long since settled their differences and Ali had apologized publicly and privately to Frazier for the odious comments he had made about him in the heat of the moment many years before.

Recently, Frazier was visibly shocked and saddened to see the extent to which Parkinson’s had ravaged Ali. Ali was upset to see Frazier looking so thin and frail due to the effects of liver cancer. They hugged each other warmly. The battles were long over. All animosity between them gone, replaced with good will and affection. In the end, there was only mutual respect and admiration between these two gallant warriors. They were great separately, but together they were the best of all time.

Book Review of Billy Miske: The St. Paul Thunderbolt by Clay Moyle

 

BILLY MISKE:

THE ST. PAUL THUNDERBOLT

Prominent boxing author Clay Moyle’s first book was an excellent biography of Sam Langford, the Canadian-born heavyweight contender who is considered to be the greatest fighter never to win a world title. Moyle’s biography on Langford, also known as The Boston Tar Baby, proved to be very popular with boxing fans worldwide.

Moyle has followed up his initial success with another literary masterpiece about former heavyweight title contender Billy Miske, a.k.a. The St. Paul Thunderbolt. Miske was a superb heavyweight fighter from the early teens and 1920’s whose life was tragically cut short by Bright’s Disease, which forced Miske’s kidneys to fail over time, causing him unspeakable daily pain and eventually costing him his life at the young age of thirty, leaving behind three young children and a grieving widow.

Moyle masterfully chronicles Miske’s daily superhuman displays of perseverance, as he regularly battled through his excruciating kidney pain, in order to enter the ring to fight. Boxing was the only way Miske, a native of St. Paul, Minnesota, knew how to put money on the table for his wife and three kids.

Near the end of his career, Miske was in such dire agony that he was no longer able to train for any of his fights. Miske’s sickness affected many in the boxing world due to his overall popularity in the sport. 

Heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey, whom Miske fought three times, once said, “I really liked Billy Miske a lot. Hell, everybody in boxing loved Billy Miske!” Dempsey beat Miske three times. In their final encounter, Dempsey knocked out a very ill Miske in three rounds in Benton Harbor, Michigan, to defend his world heavyweight title.

Moyle expertly peels back the false myths of history that have built up around Miske throughout the years, in order to reveal the truth, which is that Miske is an honest to goodness American hero. The fact that Miske continued to fight on in the midst of personal illness makes him a truly heroic character for any era.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Miske is that he forced himself to fight through his constant agony. He did this for the most simple yet human of reasons. He had a family to provide for and, as the head of the family, it was his job to put a roof over their heads and food on their table. 

Moyle has us rooting for Miske to recover even though we already know what his unfortunate outcome will be. Moyle skillfully puts the reader right there beside Miske from his first pro fight to the very last punch of his illustrious career.

Bright’s Disease was the name given to a variety of serious kidney ailments at the beginning of the last century. There was no known cure for Bright’s Disease in the 1920’s.

As the disease began to overcome him, Miske begged his manager to find him more fights even though he was too ill to train anymore in the gym. Miske wanted to make as much money as possible before he died so his family would not be in terrible shape financially after his death.

In the end, death comes over Miske almost as a relief, like a rainstorm on parched soil.    Only in death is Miske’s suffering eased.  

Moyle’s writing is vivid and gripping. Although Miske’s life ended in tragedy, Moyle skillfully shows us that Miske, while seriously debilitated by his disease, still managed to live a very full and rich life filled with much success and personal happiness.

Miske’s dedication to the welfare of his family through his darkest days is incredibly admirable. It is also triumphant. Billy Miske may never have won the world heavyweight title but he displayed throughout his life the  intangible qualities that boxing champions must possess in order to succeed. Miske was tough, determined, strong and courageous. Miske’s sense of dignity emanated from the very core of his soul.

On his very last day on earth, Miske valiantly but unsuccessfully tries to catch his breath, just like the reader will do after absorbing this exceptional boxing biography

Billy Miske: The St. Paul Thunderbolt is published by Win by KO Publications. You can also purchase this book on Clay Moyle’s Facebook page. You will be glad you did as it is a welcome addition to any boxing fan’s library.

Boxing's Greates Writer Dies

 

Boxing’s Greatest Writer Dies

On Sunday, March 25^th, the boxing world lost another icon with the passing of the sport’s greatest writer, Bert Randolph Sugar. Flags at the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York were lowered to half-mast to honor the passing of this literary lion of the prize ring.

There is never a good time to die, of course, but Bert’s death will be taken very hard by everyone in the boxing community, coming as it does, less than two months after the passing in early February, of boxing’s greatest trainer and ambassador, Angelo Dundee. I was privileged to have had a close relationship with both men, which greatly influenced my life.

Bert and Angelo were close friends. Their friendship went back fifty-four years. Bert helped Angelo write his second autobiography, My View From The Corner.  I was lucky enough to have befriended Bert Sugar in June of 2004 during my first visit to the International Boxing Hall of Fame. I went that year, and every year subsequently with my mentor and close friend, Angelo Dundee. Angelo was kind enough to introduce me to Bert on that beautiful sunny day some eight years ago. Bert was sitting down in a booth on the Hall grounds surrounded by many of his books, which were for sale. Bert’s books sold out usually within minutes. He autographed every single book he sold, putting huge smiles on the faces of his multitude of fans.

Bert was always gracious and gregarious when mingling with boxing fans. He happily posed for photographs with hundreds of his fans every year during Hall of Fame weekend. Fight fans very much looked forward to seeing Bert in his standard get-up, which consisted of his trademark fedora, Dominican cigars and colorful clothing. He was just as colorful and charismatic in person as he was on TV, if not more so.

Bert Sugar was called, "The Greatest Boxing Writer of the 20th Century" by the International Veterans Boxing Association. Truer words have never been spoken. Whenever you saw him on TV, you automatically knew they were talking about the sport of boxing. 

Perhaps no other writer of the 20^th century has been so associated with any sport as Bert Sugar was with boxing. I was one of the privileged few who knew him as both a friend and a colleague. One thing is certain. Bert Sugar knew more about boxing history than any other historian or writer who ever lived. Bert never boasted about his vast knowledge of boxing history. He didn’t need to. His love for the sport was written all over his expressive face. Bert was always working on his next boxing book or article. He felt that there was much more to be written about the sport he so loved.

Bert was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the non-participant category in 2005. I was there that summer and I watched him make his induction speech. True to form, Bert was funny, irascible and very entertaining that day. He put on an entertaining show for all those in attendance. 

Bert was a brilliant man with Mensa level intelligence. Bert was also a natural raconteur. You could ask him a question about any era in boxing history, and he always had a fascinating and funny story to perfectly illustrate his point. Bert was a veritable human warehouse of boxing knowledge. He fervently believed that to be a good boxing writer and journalist required an insatiable and unquenchable thirst to constantly learn more about boxing and it’s history.

Bert was an American original. He was a self-made creation. Over time it became difficult to tell where the creation ended and the real Bert began.  It didn’t really matter though as Bert was beloved by his fans and friends alike. He realized early on in his career that there were a lot of excellent and outstanding boxing writers covering boxing in the United States.

Award-winning titans of the keyboard such as Jimmy Cannon, Grantland Rice, Damon Runyon (Bert’s favorite writer), Jim Murray and Edwin Pope were all excellent craftsmen with unique and award-winning writing styles. Bert realized he was in heady company and needed some way to distinguish himself amongst his peers.

Bert found great success in boxing by becoming a colorful, charismatic and outsized personality who lived his life in italics while the rest of his peers existed in regular print. Fighters always opened up to Bert because of his empathetic ear and sympathetic words.

Bert had a wonderful flare for the dramatic, which, when combined with his engaging speaking style often made him as big a story as the fighters he was covering. Everything about Bert was over the top. He even had his own style of sartorial splendor. If you were to describe Bert’s clothing style with just one word, that word would be “loud.”  Fans warmly embraced Bert’s eccentricities. In fact, they looked forward to them. It was part of the whole package. In public, Bert always sported his trademark fedora, cigar and beaming smile.

Bert told me privately once that he used his middle name Randolph on all of his books and articles as a way of paying tribute to his beloved mother, with whom he was very close. Bert always spoke lovingly of his parents and how they went out of their way to provide him with a world-class education.

Bert, unlike some writers, always displayed tremendous respect for all boxers. Boxers are outsiders in many ways. They often come from immigrant families and, as such, other areas of opportunity are closed to them for various reasons.  Boxing is the last refuge for the downtrodden and underprivileged. In boxing, your heritage or ethnicity doesn’t really matter. All that counts is if you can fight and Bert knew that implicitly.

Bert was always on, constantly sharing his stories and vast boxing knowledge with other writers and fans. It was his way of making sure his stories would one day outlive him. For instance, while having dinner with Angelo Dundee and Bert one night in New York, Bert leaned across the table and told me that Rocky Marciano had indeed lost a fight during his career to a fighter named Ted Lowry but the verdict was later changed to a unanimous decision in his favor thanks to pressure exerted on his behalf by the mob.

Bert was unfailingly kind to fans and aspiring boxing writers. He would go out of his way to put in a good word for any writer who asked for his help. Each year at Canastota, Bert would give daily talks on the Hall of Fame grounds to an appreciative and huge audience. In June 2011, Bert conducted an interview on the Hall grounds with his one of his all-time favorite boxers, George Chuvalo. George and Bert sat together and swapped stories for an hour with an appreciative audience roaring their approval with each anecdote. 

Bert Sugar was born June 7, 1937 in Washington, DC. Often when Bert would mention his birth date to an audience, he would pause and add, “No, I wasn’t wearing a fedora when I was born.” Bert didn’t start his life dreaming of becoming the most successful boxing author of all-time. His parents, like many Jewish parents, pushed Bert to get an education and then go into a profession, which could keep him employed for the remainder of his life.

Following his parent’s advice, Bert graduated from the University of Maryland. He then entered law school at the University of Michigan. Upon obtaining an MBA and a law degree from the University of Michigan, Bert successfully passed the bar in the District of Columbia. Bert practiced law for a very short time. He just didn’t enjoy it. He had an active mind and felt he was wasting his time remaining holed up in his law office while the world was passing him by. Bert always believed he was destined for greater things.

Pretty soon Bert relocated to New York, which changed his life for the better and provided him with constant excitement and satisfaction. Bert was an excitement junkie, always wanting to be where the action was, and always craving a great cigar, a great boxing match and, a great time.

The light in Bert’s mind was always on and he soon found his true passion – writing! Bert’s passion became his occupation. He loved writing. It was his reason for being.  In fact, he was a successful writer almost from the beginning. His first writing jobs had nothing to do with professional boxing, or sports in general.

It didn’t take Bert long after arriving in New York to find work in the burgeoning world of advertising. Bert shone in the world of jingles and slogans. His biggest success in the advertising world was the creation of the world famous Nestles jingle,  “N-E-S-T-L-E-S, Nestles makes the very best” advertising campaign, which was a monster hit all over the world and enriched his bank account many times over.

Bert had strong passion for and attraction to boxing and soon after moving to New York, he quickly became a recognized figure in the sport. You could always find Bert  ringside at Madison Square Garden, happily conversing with his literary peers. As the 1960’s came to a close, Bert felt he needed a regular platform for his boxing articles, stories and opinions. He fed his passion and love for pugilism by becoming the editor-in-chief of Boxing Illustrated. Bert’s writing style was very honest and unadorned although extremely descriptive.

Bert possessed an uncanny ability to take controversial fights and complex issues and make them easily understandable and interesting for all fight fans.  Bert’s books were always in demand due in part to his fluid, almost populist writing style. Bert usually injected a healthy dose of humor into his prose, which was readily apparent in his books and articles. Bert’s sense of humor was very attractive to all of his readers. In person Bert was a very funny man and rather self-deprecating. He always took his boxing writing seriously, but he never took himself seriously.

When it came to writing about boxing, Bert had several rules, which governed his prose. He steadfastly believed in keeping prose simple as possible. He also remarked that there should be an element of fun in your prose. If you are enjoying writing it then the reader will no doubt enjoy reading it.  One of Bert’s other rules was that a writer should know his/her topic intimately.  Factual errors were unforgivable in Bert’s opinion. 

Bert was the most prolific boxing writer the sport has ever seen. He has written over 80 books on the sport of boxing, which is a staggering total to say the least. I remember asking Angelo Dundee how on earth did Bert write 80 separate books on boxing? Angelo response was like Bert’s writing, terse and to the point. Angelo told me, “Bert writes books like most men use the washroom. Early and often!”

Some of the boxing books that Bert penned were, Sting Like a Bee, Inside Boxing, and The 100 Greatest Boxers of All Time. Bert also wrote hundreds of articles for the finest (sports) magazines in the world. His writing has appeared in Sports Illustrated, Sports Business Journal and The New Yorker.

Bert took great enjoyment from his work as a longtime contributor to HBO.  Sugar was no stranger to the Silver Screen either, appearing in Rocky, Play it to the Bone, Night and the City and The Great White Hype. Bert was a highly decorated writer and author, receiving the 1990 Boxing Writers Association of America's Nat Fleischer Award for "Excellence in Boxing Journalism." Bert was a much sought after expert in many documentaries, such as “Unforgivable Blackness,” the PBS documentary about the black heavyweight world champion, Jack Johnson.

Bert’s contributions to the sport of boxing as a writer, author and broadcast commentator are immeasurable and will most certainly live forever. As long as fight fans continue to read about boxing, Bert Sugar will always be their favorite writer. His typewriter may no longer be active but his words will remain with us for a long time to come.